Little Lamb
by Adventureling
Summary: Sometimes there's nothing you can do when the wolf is stalking you. One-Shot depicting a third year Mary MacDonald


**Hey Readers! This is my first story so I hope you like it. I would also like to point out that I don't own any characters used in this story excluding Annelise Romanov. All other characters belong to the amazing and talented J.K Rowling. P.S. this is a prelude to the supposedly dark event that happened to Mary MacDonald that Lily describes to Severus. Enjoy!**

The faint sound of gurgling could be heard throughout the large, cool room. After all, it was potions class and-thankfully-the last class of the day. Despite the late hour, many feverish students (excluding the Slytherins) were tense and hard at work to finish their assignments before the three day holiday weekend.

This was especially true for Mary MacDonald, a third year Gryffindoor who just couldn't seem to catch a break when it came to potions. Luckily, Slughorn was across the room complimenting Lily Evans (again) on her perfect "Blemish Blitzer". Scowling, [Mary] picked up her plant roots (having no idea what plant they were from) and tossed them into her already aggressively boiling cauldron, realizing to late her mistake as the once dull orange liquid swiftly changed to a midnight black.

A tremendous "BOOM!" could be heard throughout the entire classroom (and perhaps corridor) causing everyone to stop what they were doing and a few to even drop their ingredients and/or squeak out in fright. Opening her eyes, Mary noticed soot and what was supposed to be her potion covering her once perfectly pressed robes and herself from nearly head to toe. The high pitched sounds of pre-pubescent teen laughter cut through the air, reaching her ears without warning. From shear embarrassment, tears began to trickle down her face as she furiously attempted every cleansing charm she knew on herself (despite not having grasped most of them yet) as Slughorn hastily rushed to examine the situation.

Shaking his head with unsuccessfully veiled annoyance, her potions teacher mindlessly chastised her, "Carelessness will get you nowhere Ms. MacDonald! Merlin's Beard, what was going through your mind when you decided to use maradoc root instead of aconite root?" Feeling her face turn red at her professor's lecturing she turned her eyes to stare at the chipped wood at the corner of the desk. Suddenly enthralled by the words she began to distinguish in the scrawl, picking out intelligent sayings like "Jeremy sucks" and "Kiss my beard". This technique seemed to work until she heard the distinctive laugh she knew oh so well coming from the table diagonally behind her.

Face now pale and back ridged, she attempted not to listen to the vicious comments obviously directed at her. "Can't even brew a simple "Blemish Blitzer" can you MacDonald?" Julian Mulciber taunted behind her. "Although I shouldn't be surprised considering you're a Gryffindoor and a half-blood." He asininely whispered causing his friends; Cadmus Avery and Damien Wilkes to snicker obnoxiously through what she imagined to be matching sardonic smirks.

Feeling her face heat up further, though no longer from embarrassment, she acknowledged that Professor Slughorn had wandered off to berate yet another Third-year Gryffindoor who didn't know the difference of a dog fang from a newt eye. Turning back to stare at the corner scrawl, she thought about how tempting it was to transfigure Mulciber's nose into a snout. Tempting as the notion was, she couldn't risk getting detention over the long weekend, especially over something involving him.

"Come on MacDonald, where's you're Gryffindoor pride? Or did the Sorting Hat have a momentary lapse of judgment when it decided to put you into your house. You're definitely dumb enough to be in Hufflepuff…" Julian jibed incessantly.

No longer able to reign in her famous temper (probably the reason she was In Gryffindoor), she twisted around and contorted her face into a sneer "It's too bad I'm not a Ravenclaw so I could rip you out of whatever self-assured hole you live in worm!" she spat out.

Julian's face suddenly darkened, his dark blue eyes glinting maliciously at her while his friends' laughter abruptly cut off. "You're going to regret saying that half-blood" he bit out, continuing to glare directly into her eyes. Crystal blue clashed with dark blue as tension built between them, no doubt about to result in yet another explosion.

"Time's up students! Please hand in a vile of your potion to me at my desk on your way out and have a splendid holiday!" Slughorn interrupted, calling loudly while walking to his desk that already had a forming line of students rushing to turn their potions in in order to leave. Staying longer to collect her attempt-and failure-at a "Blemish Blitz" Mary realized all other students had left the room and that Slughorn remained waiting impatiently. Blushing, she hurried up to him and quickly handed in her "potion" or more specifically, her vile of black goo that was originally meant to be a scintillating orange.

"Thank you Ms. Macdonald. I expect better results from you next time." Slughorn informed her in a clipped tone. Nodding furiously, she sped out of the potion's room (nearly forgetting her bag in the process) and fast walked through the long and shadowy dungeon corridors. The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise, causing Mary to look feverishly around into the dark gloom of the different dungeon rooms with the suspicious feeling someone was watching her. Cool hands abruptly wrapped around her waist from behind and quickly over her mouth when she drew back her breath to scream.

"No need to roar little lion" an easily recognizable voice beckoned. Twisting away from the source of her near heart attack, she turned and stared directly into dark blue eyes that would've been enchanting on anyone else but seemed cold and empty belonging to him.

"What do you want Mulciber? Are you going to insult me some more or perhaps push me like you did on the boats our first day?" Despite her blunt tone, her questioning only seemed to amuse him as he left out a few low chuckles that seemed suspiciously mocking. For the first time Mary noted that they were completely alone seeing as Avery and Wilkes weren't attached at the hip to him like they usually were. Swallowing thickly, she shifted back and forth nervously, trying to determine her best option at getting out of her present predicament.

Julian's mouth slowly twisted into a devilish smirk, matching his glinting and dishearteningly piercing eyes which only served to further her nervous reactions. Without warning he suddenly grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him. Shaking with trepidation now, Mary furiously willed herself not to cry in panic seeing as the Slytherin in front of her would only see that as a sign of weakness. Silently hoping one of the prefects like Frank Longbottom or Amelia Bones would come along was now her only sense of security

"I know what you're thinking Mary, and no, no one's coming to save you. After all, it's a holiday!" Julian said in a falsely cheery tone. Abruptly schooling his features into a charming smile, Julian cocked his head and said smoothly "I was wrong about what you were little Mary. That muggle nursery story or whatever had it all wrong too… You don't have a lamb Mary, you are the lamb" all the while slowly inching closer until she could feel his breath fanning across her face.

Mary attempted to pull away, shuddering as she did so, and observing as Julian's normally dark blue eyes shifted into a dark stormy grey with what she assumed was sick pleasure from taunting her. Ultimately this action failed when he simply pulled her closer so he could whisper in her ear.

"And guess what little lamb, I'm the wolf." Jerking back in surprise she realized too late that Julian had already let her go, causing her to tumble painfully to the floor. Looming over her, Julian tilted his head as if examining her, 'perhaps contemplating whether to literally eat me or not' she thought bitterly. The smirk she knew so well was plastered back onto his face with his teeth just barely visible, and much like his eyes, were glinting in the low lighting.

"I'll be seeing you my little lamb, and maybe one day if the sudden urge hits me, I might just slaughter you." He softly spoke as if reassuring her of his promise. Swiftly turning on his heel Julian gracefully walked away toward the stairs, not once looking back, leaving Mary alone to contemplate the recent situation.

With little effort she broke into heaving sobs, holding her hand over her mouth in case Julian, no, Mulciber heard her and decided to come back. Attempting to catch her breath between sobs, she pulled herself into a somewhat standing position with the help of the wall.

Covering her face with her hand and slowly pulling it downwards she let out a shaky breath as she started to move. Using yet another cleansing charm she slowly started towards the stairs, plastering a fake smile on so no one would notice her blatant fear. 'He can't target me to the same extent in public, I'll be safe if I'm not alone' she attempted to console herself.

Upon entering the Great Hall Mary noticed her two friends; Alice Prewett and Annelise Romanov. When the pair noticed her they flapped their arms in a beckoning motion with large smiles on their faces, no doubt from the chocolate pecan pie they were currently eating. Smiling weakly she started to walk over to them when she suddenly felt eyes on her back.

Shooting a glance to the Slytherin table Mary expediently scanned her eyes over its occupants. After observing almost the entire table she was about to turn around when she locked her eyes with a pair of dark blue ones. It was when he flashed a disturbingly wolfish grin that she realized that she wasn't safe from his tormenting. After all, she was the little lamb in the open pasture of Hogwarts and he was the wolf prowling around the corners, waiting to strike.

**I know its a bit strange for her to suddenly go from temperamental and brave to extremely terrified but I'm simply trying to create a realistic reaction to something that everyone could admit would probably frighten the socks off of them. Mulciber isn't "in love" or have a crush on Mary and vice versa, he simply gets a power trip out of controlling the strong-willed Mary who is cowed by his unpredictability. **


End file.
